Same as it Ever Was
by Flynne
Summary: A series of loosely-connected one-shots set after the 2007 movie. With Winters gone and the threat to their world eliminated, all that's left for the turtles to do is learn how to be brothers again.
1. This Machine

This Machine

Even though Leo had fought impressively during the fight with the stone generals, now that the battle was over, Don could see that their brother was still off-kilter. One of his katana grated slightly against the side of the sheath when he slid it home, and when his hands returned to his sides, Don could see them shaking slightly.

Mikey was still sputtering, disgusted by the sparkling ash that had drifted over him when Winters had passed on. "Can we go home now? Because I seriously need to gargle."

"Sure we can go home." Raph crossed his arms and tipped his head in the direction of the overturned Cowabunga Carl van. "Soon as we get that thing back on four wheels. Nice driving, Casey," he said sarcastically.

"Hey, I'd like to see you drive through a monster hurricane and keep it on the road. We're lucky we made it back in one piece."

Don squinted critically at the exposed undercarriage. "I don't know, guys. We'll be lucky if it starts. There's a lot of damage."

"Well, standing around ain't getting' us anywhere," Raph said. He cracked his neck and stepped close to the van. "Come on, gimme a hand."

The four turtles and Casey hooked their hands underneath the overturned van and started to lift. The battered metal frame creaked and groaned, but it was only a moment or two before the van crunched down on all four wheels, sending up a billowing cloud of dust and grit. Leo staggered as he let go of the van, an uncharacteristic stumble. Raph caught hold of his arm to steady him.

Don blinked, surprised at the subtle, grateful look Leo gave Raph. Both brothers seemed a little uncertain of how they should react, but before either of them could speak, Splinter stepped forward with a small, worried frown.

"Leonardo. Are you all right?"

"I still feel a little dizzy," Leo admitted reluctantly.

Don stepped closer, looking carefully into Leo's eyes to study the size of his pupils. "You seem okay, but Raph wasn't out of it for quite so long. It took us several hours to get ready and come for you."

Leo's forehead furrowed a little. "I think they gave me another dose," he said slowly. "I remember starting to wake up, and I was inside the cage. When I started to lift my head, I felt another dart in my arm." Don studied his brother's arm when he held it out. Now that he was looking, he could see a second puncture in the muscle of his shoulder.

"They were trying to pass you off as the thirteenth monster," April said, tucking a flyway strand of hair back behind her ear. "They couldn't have you waking up and giving yourself away."

Mikey had climbed into the van as soon as it was righted and poked around in the debris until he found the keys. Bouncing a little in the creaking driver's seat, he stuck the keys in the ignition and gave them a tentative turn. The engine squealed and coughed alarmingly, but eventually rumbled to life.

"Wahoo! Yes!" Mikey crowed. "Come on guys, get in! And, uh, if someone could grab the passenger door for me, that'd be great."

Casey offered April a hand up into the van, then bent to pick up the front passenger door from where it had fallen beside the vehicle. He waited until Splinter and the three other turtles climbed in, then got into the front seat and hauled the battered door in after him.

It was barely five in the morning, but the streets were already starting to fill with traffic. Mikey knew the streets as well as he knew his way around the sewers, though, so he was able to take them back to the lair quickly without venturing onto any main roads. He took a brief detour to drop Casey and April off at their apartment, then turned the van toward home.

They made it just in time. As Mikey backed into the abandoned building that they'd turned into a garage, the van gave a choked wheeze and shuddered to a stop. A pitiful puff of smoke rose from beneath the hood and floated away.

Mikey hastily switched off the ignition, glancing over his shoulder with a nervous chuckle. "Well, guess it's a good thing Cowabunga Carl doesn't have any gigs this week."

"This week?" Raph echoed. "You'll be lucky if I can get this hunk of junk moving in __two __weeks. Cowabunga Carl is gonna have to walk."

"Nah, I'll just borrow your bike," Mikey said. Raph just growled a little, seeing the teasing glint in his brother's eyes and refusing to rise to the bait.

"Leonardo, we are home," Splinter said.

Don glanced to the back bench seat in time to see his father gently shake Leonardo awake. Leo jumped and tensed, making an aborted grab for his swords before he realized where he was. "Sorry, sensei," he said sheepishly.

"Come on, let's get you inside to sleep it off," Raph said. He grabbed hold of Leo's arm and draped it around his shoulders again, hauling his brother out of the van.

Mikey hopped out and followed close behind. "You can fix it, though, right Raph?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. Me and Donnie'll get your van back to normal," Raph said.

Don's brow ridges lifted and he stared after Raphael. He and Raph? Just like that, huh? A spasm of pain flashed through him as he walked behind his family. When the relationship between his brothers had started to fray after the first months of Leo's absence, Don had held out on hope that when his brother returned, things would get back to normal. Don had been wrong, of course – the few days that Leo had been back had been fraught with tension. Raph had been even angrier than before…

…until Leo had been taken. Don had been tied up with his tech support work when Raph had returned, so he'd had no idea anything was wrong until Mikey came bounding up, wide-eyed, and dragged him off to Splinter's quarters.

It was as if a switch had been flipped. Raphael was terse, anxious, but the black cloud of anger that had hovered over him for months had dissipated…or, at least, he had pushed it away so it no longer overpowered him.

Don didn't know the details of Leo's abduction; Splinter wasn't talking about it, he knew better than to ask Raph, and there hadn't been time to get Mikey alone to question him. But now, seeing Raph and Leo together again…well, it wasn't back to normal, but the animosity was gone.

Just like that. And, apparently, Don was expected to follow suit.

As much as Donatello desperately wanted to regain the close friendship with his brothers again – as much as he'd __wanted __everything to fall easily into place – it hurt that it seemed to be expected of him automatically. Don wasn't the type to hold grudges, but things between Raphael and himself had really gotten bad.

"__You've got me all figured out."__

"__Well, I know that your rogue attitude has always been a source of contention to this team. You think fear is the best way to accomplish things, but you're wrong."__

"__First of all, this __**_**team**_**__ you're talking about doesn't exist anymore. And secondly…"__

Don sighed, rubbing his eyes with his fingers as he dropped down into his worn desk chair. That moment had played in his mind on a loop whenever he'd been alone. He and Raphael had done their share of arguing over the past couple years but that had been the first time that Don had actually believed Raph would strike him. For a fleeting moment, he'd actually been afraid of his brother. Not that he thought Raph could really hurt him – Raph was bigger and arguably stronger, but Don __was __a ninja, after all – but he'd thought Raph had __wanted__ to hurt him. That had never happened before.

Of course, Don mused with a sigh, he himself had never been so cuttingly, cruelly honest. What he'd said about Raph had been true…but he shouldn't have said it the way he had. __"Why couldn't you send __**_**him**_**__ away for training?"__ He'd pitched his voice low, but he knew the acoustics of their home and he'd known his words would carry to his brother's ears.

The message light on Don's answering machine was flashing. He sighed wearily as he listened to the polite-but-annoyed messages (three of them) from his supervisor, wondering why he'd missed his shift. He slipped on his headset and dialed her number. She answered on the second ring.

"_Donnie? Where the hell have you been?"_

"Hi, Michelle. Sorry, I had a…family emergency."

She paused a moment, and when she spoke again the irritation had faded from her voice. _"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Everything okay?"_

"Yeah, it's fine now."

"_Good. Look, I know things can get crazy, but try to call me next time, okay? We're lucky Carlos could come online early and cover for you."_

"Tell him thanks for me. He can log off…I'll cover the rest of his shift. And I'll do my best to keep you posted in the future. Thanks for understanding." Don hung up and flipped on his switchboard, bracing himself for the first caller. "Hi, thanks for holding. This is Donnie, your tech support representative. How can I help you?….Mm-hm. Mm-hm. …Have you tried turning it off and on again…?"

He answered call after call, staring at his computer screen with glazed eyes. Mikey drifted near after a while, leaving a sandwich and a bottle of water at his elbow. Don gave his brother a brief, tired smile. He sipped at the water but didn't bother with the sandwich. He couldn't really take a break between calls, anyway. When his shift finally ended, he slumped forward in his chair with a sigh, reaching back to rub the stiff junction between his neck and shoulders.

"Yo, Don."

Don twitched, startled at hearing the deep rumble of Raph's voice so close behind him. "Raph! Geez, some day I'm going to put a bell on you," he groused. Raph didn't respond. His mask hung loose around his neck and his arms were covered in dirt and grease from fingertips to elbow. Don could see the familiar expectant look in his brother's eyes, so he sighed a little and asked, "You need something?"

"Yeah." Raph didn't exactly fidget, but he looked oddly hesitant. "I've started working on the van. I can fix the engine and stuff, but you've got a lot of extra computer junk in there that I don't know how to fix. Need you to come take a look at it."

Don bit back a sigh. If it wasn't his work, it was his family. Plugging him in where they needed him, expecting him to fill his role like some sort of robot. He was surprised at the cynical thought, but it didn't change the way he felt. But still…Mikey needed the van to work, and it wasn't his fault that it had been destroyed.

"Okay," he agreed. He stood and stretched, grabbing the sandwich and stuffing a few bites into his mouth as he followed Raph to the garage. "Where's everyone else?" he asked, glancing around at the empty living space.

"Leo's sleeping. Last I saw Mikey, he'd fallen asleep on top of Leo's quilt. Splinter's meditating," Raph replied shortly.

Don didn't answer, taking a few moments to survey the damage to the van. The metal was dented and scraped, and Don was pretty sure the punctures near the left taillight were tooth marks. Most of the windows were cracked. The passenger side door was still lying forlornly on the floor. Raph had removed the hood so he could reach the engine unimpeded, and the warped metal panel lay on the ground like a broken sled.

"What a mess," Don said softly.

"Tell me about it." Raph swiped the back of his arm across his forehead, leaving a dark streak on his face. "Do you need to start it up?"

"No, I can access the hard drive with the engine off." Don retrieved his handheld scanner and climbed up into the driver's seat, grimacing when he saw the battered mess in the center console. Any modern vehicle had a computer, but Don had made a lot of modifications when he'd found the van. Raphael could deal with anything mechanical, but Don's advanced computers were beyond him.

The pair of brothers had fallen into a pattern over the years: working seamlessly together on various inventions or vehicles, dividing the duties between technical and mechanical, but…it had been a long time since they'd actually worked together. If Don hadn't been so caught up in his feelings of hurt (and, yes, guilt), he might have enjoyed the chance to work with his brother again.

Don plugged in his scanner and got to work, scanning through the lines of scrambled code. Mikey had once compared him to Artoo Detoo when watching him work. Don had laughed…but now the memory just made him feel melancholy. __Don the 'droid…__

"I fought with Leo."

"Wha…?" Don looked up, startled at Raph's abrupt statement.

Raph was elbow-deep in the engine again, but his gaze was fixed on Don's face. "Last night. Before they took him. It was…it was my fault they got him."

Don just stared at him, face impassive as Raphael told him the full story of what had happened. Don was less surprised than he thought he'd be to learn that Raph had been the Nightwatcher; he hadn't suspected, but knowing Raphael, it seemed fitting. Raph told him about the fight on the stormy rooftop, and the bitter words he had thrown in Leo's face.

Don swallowed hard, feeling his heart give a heavy thump. "What…what did __he__ say?"

Raph dropped his gaze to look down at the engine again. "You're gonna have to ask him," he answered. "S'not my place to say."

Don watched Raph work for a few moments, wondering if he would speak again, but he remained silent. Frowning thoughtfully, Don turned his attention back to his handheld reader.

"I was a jerk." Raph voice was so quiet that Don nearly missed it. He lifted his head, but Raph still wasn't looking at him, shoulders hunched in an uncharacteristic defensive posture. "You know. The other day. Most days." Raph looked up then, his golden-brown gaze startlingly clear and intense. "I'm sorry."

Don held his gaze for a long moment before his shoulders relaxed and he gave Raph a small but sincere smile. "It's okay," he answered softly. Raph gave a little nod in return. His expression softened – it wasn't quite a smile, but it Don knew it was as close as he was going to get.

"So whaddaya think?" Raph asked, tilting his head toward the monitor in Don's hand.

"Well, looks like being in close proximity to interdimensional portals is hard on electronics. The ol' Cowabungamobile got its brains scrambled pretty good, but I think can fix it."

"How long d'you think it'll take?"

Don pondered. This wasn't going to be a quick fix. The good news was that a scrambled computer wouldn't interfere with Raph's part of the repairs, so Don could easily put it off until the next day. He was sore, tired, and he could feel the telltale pressure behind his eyes that told him he was about to get a headache if he didn't get some sleep…

…but for the first time in nearly two years, he was in the same room with Raphael and they weren't fighting and there wasn't any tension and it was just __nice__ to be able to work together again.

Don smiled at him. "Well, it'll take me a couple days at least. I'll need some shuteye soon, but I can stay a little longer."

Raph nodded, burying himself within the engine once more. The brothers didn't speak again, but they didn't need to. It felt like a switch had been flipped. Or, rather, it felt as if two cogs that had been out of alignment had suddenly clicked back into place. Despite his weariness, the smile didn't leave Don's face. They had a long way to go – both with fixing the van and fixing their friendship – but he knew without a doubt that they'd succeed.


	2. Reacclimation

Reacclimation

Mikey grumbled into his pillow. He was so _tired_, but pinching hunger pangs had woken him up. He pulled his blanket over his head and burrowed deeper under the covers, but his stomach gave a loud growl like an angry bear and he knew he'd never manage to sleep until the last quesadilla in the refrigerator was consumed.

He hopped down from his bunk and shuffled across his room, blinking in surprise as he saw the thin line of light seeping in underneath the door. Apparently someone was still awake. He opened the door and peered down into the main living area. Leo was sitting curled under a blanket in the center of the couch. The blue-white glow of the television flickered gently and mingled with the gold light from the single lamp he'd left turned on.

Mikey considered sliding down the bannister to get downstairs quicker, but when a yawn threatened to split his face in two, he decided against it. Speed was good, but losing his balance due to grogginess was bad. He padded down the stairs, face brightening when Leo looked around and gave him a tired but welcoming smile.

"Hey, Leo. What'cha doin' up so late? Just so you know, Donnie gets cranky if you spend too much time watching the shopping channel. You'd think ordering three juicers was a crime or something." Mikey grinned as he glanced at the television. An impassioned host waxed lyrical about the wonder of painting rainbows with sponges. "That lady makes a convincing argument, though. You thinking about making a purchase?"

Leo laughed a little and rolled his eyes. "She definitely gets points for enthusiasm. But no, I'm not going to buy any art supplies." He shrugged. "I just...couldn't sleep."

Mikey tilted his head curiously...but then he noticed the way that Leo was sitting, huddled in a ball beneath the blanket, not quite able to hide the little shivers running through his frame. His brows drew together in concern - it had only been a day or two since Leo had shaken off the effects of his capture by the stone generals - but he still spoke lightly, not wanting to seem like he was overreacting. "How come? Don't even try to say jet lag. I know Costa Rica is only like an hour behind New York."

Leo smiled, giving him a reassuring look, and Mikey knew that his brother had seen his worry anyway. "No, it's not jet lag. It's just…" He shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "We're a little farther away from the equator here."

"Awww...you're cold!" Mikey's shoulders slumped in relief. "Why didn't you just say so? I can fix that!" He jumped a little as his stomach snarled at him, and he chuckled sheepishly. "Uh...I can fix that in just a second. Hang on." He darted to the kitchen, yanked open the fridge, and stuffed the quesadilla into his mouth, holding it in his teeth while he poured himself a glass of orange juice. He kicked the fridge door shut with his foot, then ambled back out to the living room.

Leo's nose wrinkled in distaste. "You're eating a _cold_ quesadilla and...drinking orange juice?"

"This from the dude who spent two years eating bugs," Mikey said around a mouthful of tortilla and cheese. He plopped on the couch next to Leo, causing his brother to bounce on the worn cushions.

"That was _one time_."

"You still did it," Mikey answered, taking another bite. "Once you admit to eating a bug, you don't get to criticize my dietary choices."

Leo smirked and rolled his eyes. "Fair enough."

Mikey stuffed the last of the quesadilla into his mouth and drained his orange juice in one long swig, then leaned back and patted his stomach. "Ahh, that's better. The beast is satisfied. Now…I said I was gonna fix your problem." He started plucking at the edge of Leo's blanket.

"Mikey, what are you...hey!" Leo yelped a little as Mikey yanked the blanket hard enough to jostle him in his seat.

"Dude, quit fighting me!" Mikey slapped Leo's hand out of the way and wedged himself against his side, cocooning both himself and his brother under the warm fleece. He shifted position one more time to snag the remote, then flipped channels until he found a late night "I Love Lucy" marathon. "There. Better?"

Leo still looked a little stunned. But after a brief pause, his expression softened in a fond smile. "Actually...yes."

"Told you. Mikey always knows best." He settled down and rested his head against Leo's shoulder. The brothers didn't speak again, but Mikey felt Leo relax as his shivering gradually stopped. He sighed contentedly, slumping more heavily against Leo as sleep pressed against the edges of his mind again.

"Good night, Mikey," Leo said softly.

Mikey sighed and tried to say "good night" in return, but before he could answer, he was asleep.


	3. Admiration

Admiration

Unsurprisingly, Leo found Raph in the garage. He'd lifted the front end of Mikey's Cowabunga Carl van on a jack and slid underneath leaving only his legs visible. He'd cobbled a creeper together using old skateboards and some plywood, and the wheeled board allowed him to roll around beneath vehicles easily. The musty air was thick with the smell of motor oil.

Leo didn't speak, not wanting to break his brother's concentration, but he sat on a stool next to one of the work benches and watched Raph in silence.

"You want somethin'?" Raph asked after a few moments, voice echoing metallically from beneath the van.

Leo's brow ridges lifted. "I didn't think you knew I was here."

"__Ninja___, _remember? And I could see your feet when you came in, genius."

"Oh. Right." Leo grimaced, feeling foolish; but although Raph's reply was heavy with sarcasm, there was no venom in his voice.

"So? What d'you want?" Raph asked again.

Leo answered with another question. "What are you doing?"

"Changing the oil. And then I've gotta mess with the stupid inflating turtle head on top. It's only comin' up halfway and it looks even more hideous than when it's fully inflated. Can't believe I let Mikey talk me into rigging that up," Raph groused.

A spare, fond smile crossed Leo's face. Raphael usually was a turtle of few words, but when he got focused on a project he tended to ramble without realizing it. A lot had changed since Leo had left for South America, but it warmed him to know that some things never would.

Raph gave a little grunt of effort, followed by a soft, "Ha!" of triumph, and Leo could hear the sound of the oil dripping into a pan. Raph rolled out from under the van and tossed the used oil filter away, wiping his hands thoroughly on a rag. He gave Leo a fleeting glance as he walked past. His face was expressionless, but Leo could tell that his presence was not unwelcome, and he gave his brother a small smile in return.

While waiting for the used oil to drain, Raph went to the other side of the garage and crouched next to his motorcycle. The bike was in perfect condition, Leo knew, but Raph liked to tinker with it just to kill time. Of course, the motorcycle had needed a lot more maintenance than usual over the past year – Raph's exploits as the Nightwatcher had been rough on it. Speaking of which…

"…You know," Leo ventured, "I looked up the Nightwatcher online." Raph didn't look up, but he tensed visibly, and Leo could practically feel his defensive walls slam into place. "There wasn't a lot available," he went on. "I think the police wanted to keep it quiet and not create a hero out of him. Or inspire copycats."

Raph stood, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "Is there a point to this?" he asked irritably.

"Actually, yes," Leo said. "There isn't a lot about the Nightwatcher on official news sources, but if you look on some of the anti-crime blogs, there's quite a bit. Most people never saw him, but they knew when he'd been around. Because the neighborhoods got safer, and people could sit on their stoops late at night without worrying about being mugged. And there was a lot less vandalism."

As Leo talked, the defensiveness gradually melted away from Raph's face, leaving in its place an expression of mingled surprise and confusion. "What? How do you…?"

"You didn't know?" Leo asked.

"Never even thought to check," Raph said gruffly, looking away. "Anyway, woulda felt weird looking stuff up about myself."

Leo stood, crossing over to stand in front of him. "Maybe it's a good thing I __did__ look, then." He lifted his hand – hesitated – then carefully rested his hand on Raphael's shoulder. Raph looked up sharply, not hostile, but still wary. Leo smiled at him. "In spite of everything, you did a lot of good, Raph; things that most people wouldn't have been able to accomplish. I think it's important that you know."

Raph didn't say anything. He just looked at him. His expression didn't change, but Leo could see the look of relief in his eyes; relief that he wasn't being condemned for his actions again, relief that it hadn't all been for nothing…and relief that he was still worthy of esteem in his brother's sight.

Not that Raphael would ever admit any of it out loud, Leo knew, and after a moment Raph carelessly shrugged his hand away with a mumbled, "Yeah, okay, fine. Get outta my way, Leo, I got work to do." His shoulder jostled Leo's as he walked past, but Leo just grinned.

Raph grabbed the new oil filter and rolled underneath the van again. "If you're just gonna stand there, you may as well make yourself useful," he said. "When I say so, pop the hood and pour the new oil in, would ya?"

"Yeah, sure."

"And don't spill it."

"Wouldn't dream of it."


End file.
